The wind in Stonehaven is different.
Don’t ask me how, but somehow the sensation of being whipped in the face by a bitter seaside blast is better when you’re looking at the marvellous, menacing Dunnotar Castle.
Perched on a cliff, looking like it has grown out of the hill itself, the ruin is a terrific sight to behold.
And as the eerily emerald-coloured waves riot against the rocks below, you can feel the depth of history which lingers here.
Viking invasions, William Wallace’s daring and Cromwell’s siege all happened where this fortress stands.
Myself, my partner and his mother stand there being buffeted by the wild wind for a good long time, taking it all in.
The castle looks stunning from every angle, but my favourite one is from a wee footbridge, from which the ruins are framed smack in the middle of the valley.
I’m so glad I got to see it from here. Even though it took two attempts to get to it.
We were underprepared for Stoney stairs
We’re here on the last day of our three-day weekend in Stonehaven. It’s the first time any of us have been, excepting a trip I took to the town and back without ever leaving the main drag.
And it’s the second trip we’ve taken as a group.
I wrote in this column earlier in the year about how visiting Seaton Cliffs in Arbroath with my partner’s mum opened my eyes to the importance of accessibility at Scotland’s beauty spots.
So when we were researching our autumn trip to Stonehaven and saw that Dunnottar Castle was only a short, mostly flat walk away from our cottage, we thought we’d cracked it.
We did not know about the steep, steep stairs.
Steep stairs in the cafe and every cottage we could find – old fisherman’s houses are not to be messed with.
Steep stairs to the clifftop path. Even steeper stairs to the castle itself. And lots of them.
I’m not in any way criticising the presence of these stairs.
On the path, they’re a great shortcut up from the town for those able to manage them.
And as far as the castle goes, something tells me ease of access wasn’t front of mind for those building it.
But we sauntered out on the Saturday with no prior knowledge of them, and were swiftly brought to a halt just past the war memorial, as the ascent to the clifftop trail had been more than our group had bargained for.
We could see the castle in the distance, so we turned back with a collective shrug.
I was silently relieved, as this was turning into more of a small hike than a casual walk.
We were well fed and watered at Stonehaven harbour
On the way back to our lovely cottage, we opted for the gradual decline back into town – a notably longer walk, but a far better option for those with limited mobility or with little ones, as it was smoothly paved. I wished we’d known about this setting out!
A jaunt around the beautiful, moody (flat) harbour was much easier to navigate. I even managed to steal a swim in the bay – but notably, my partner’s mum couldn’t have made it over the wall of rocks on to the sand.
The famous Driftwood sauna was bustling, and I vowed to go back to try it out another time.
The boardwalk on the beach is a fabulous idea for those who might struggle in sand, and we really enjoyed looking at the intricate metal sculptures dotted along it.
And a delicious evening meal at The Ship Inn, plus breakfast the next day at The Old Pier (I’m still dreaming about that chocolate croissant) meant we were well fed within a five-minute walk of our cottage.
Car park for Dunnottar was much more accessible
But the highlight came on the way back home to Dundee. We were headed to St Cyrus (another story for another day) when we found ourselves approaching the car park for Dunnottar Castle.
One split-second decision and hard left later, and we were in.
And what a game-changer it was, coming from this direction.
We made full use of the well-placed accessible parking bays, and made our way down the smooth track towards the castle.
Within five minutes, we were at the top of the formidable staircase, which plunges down into the valley and back up to the fortress itself.
Opting not to make that journey, we stayed on the car park side, but ambled down a shorter path leading to another clifftop on the right-hand side of the castle.
It was here we encountered the perfect-picture footbridge, and I felt we’d triumphed in really visiting the castle together.
The view itself felt as wild and untouched as could be. But we were just five minutes from the car, and a handy snack van.
It’s wonderful that there’s a variety of different ways to experience this stunning landmark.
But whichever way you choose, just be aware – they love their stairs up in Stoney.
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